Jeff Zucker

FEATURED ARTICLES ABOUT JEFF ZUCKER - PAGE 2

The success of NBC's "Today" reached the kind of perfectly round milestone that the network could not resist crowing about. As of last week "Today" had been in first place in the morning ratings for 200 consecutive weeks. That's the longest period of dominance for one program since competition among morning news programs began in 1975. But "Today" had already had the record back at week 199, and all the way back to week 88. Still, 200 weeks is a noteworthy number. The streak began the week of Dec. 11, 1995.

If you missed the season finale of "Saturday Night Live," you may have missed Jimmy Fallon's last live show. The longtime cast member ended his "Weekend Update" segment by saying: "This is my last show. Good night and have a pleasant tomorrow." Fallon didn't give a reason for the announcement, though it was no surprise to NBC executives. "He had made it clear that he wanted to move on, and we wish him all the best," Jeff Zucker, president of the NBC Universal Television Group, said Monday.

(Reuters) -CNN dropped plans for a documentary on Hillary Rodham Clinton as the filmmaker charged in a scathing online essay that the Democrat's camp froze him out while Republicans grumbled about meddling in the 2016 presidential race. "Neither political party wanted the film made," Charles Ferguson said in a blog post Monday on the Huffington Post website. Ferguson, who was tapped by CNN to direct the film last year, said he began receiving messages from Clinton 's staff almost immediately after he signed the contract and in the ensuing months found it difficult to get anyone to speak to him. "But when I approached people for interviews, I discovered that nobody, and I mean nobody, was interested in helping me make this film.

"The Philanthropist" is taking his fortune to London, as well as points in Europe and South Africa, as NBC looks to save some money on production of the midseason series. NBC Universal boss Jeff Zucker told other media bigwigs at a Royal Television Society conference in London that the show, about a billionaire who uses his wealth and connections to do good, will be based in the U.K. Carnival, a British production company NBCU recently bought, will supervise filming overseas, though the show's writers, led by executive producer David Eick ("Battlestar Galactica")

(Repeats for wider subscribers) By Peter Lauria and Lisa Richwine LOS ANGELES, Nov 27 (Reuters) - Jeff Zucker, a former head of NBCUniversal and the producer of Katie Couric's talk show, will be named president of ratings-starved CNN cable news channel, a source close to the situation said on Tuesday. Zucker will succeed departing CNN Worldwide President Jim Walton, who said in July he was leaving the once-dominant news network after nine years in the job and a recent ratings slump.

The early part of the fall season has not been kind to NBC, whose ratings are down about 12 percent compared with this time last year, leading the network to pull two of its new series ("Coupling" and "The Lyon's Den") for November sweeps. But the network has received encouraging signs from its new Tuesday comedies, "Whoopi" and "Happy Family," and has rewarded both with full-season pickups. They join "Las Vegas" in getting a full-season order from the network and become the 10th and 11th new shows across all six networks to be picked up. "These two shows have fulfilled our goal of opening Tuesday night for us in a way that we haven't been able to do in years," NBC Entertainment president Jeff Zucker says.

For the second incarnation of "Average Joe," NBC decided it wanted a little more of everything. When "Average Joe: Hawaii" debuts Jan. 5, viewers will see a more exotic location than the first show's Palm Springs digs, more aesthetically imperfect Joes vying for one beauty's affection and, a few episodes in, more male hotties brought in to shake up the game. The second edition of the show is already in the can, having taped before the first "Average Joe" premiered earlier this month.

Jennifer Coolidge has many memorable scenes on the big screen in movies such as "American Pie," "Legally Blonde" and "Best in Show." Now the actress wants to do the same on the small screen and has signed a talent deal with NBC, Variety reports. Coolidge will look at scripts and develop potential projects with writers for possible NBC sitcoms to launch in fall 2004. As Stifler's mom in the "American Pie" franchise, Coolidge played a hypersexed parent. She played a lesbian dog handler in "Best in Show," a thick-accented PR maven in "A Mighty Wind" and Paulette in the "Legally Blonde" movies.

Though "Today" weatherguy Al Roker is being courted by other networks, smart money says he'll re-up at NBC. Roker "has always been an integral part of our team and we expect him to be for a long time," says "Today" boss Jeff Zucker. Sources say that Roker's contract, which has 10 months remaining, forbids him from joining a competing network for six months after the deal expires. So if "CBS This Morning" wants him, it will have to wait at least 16 months. Too long for that sinking ship.

CNN is making as many as 50 news employees reapply for their positions as it works to bring its digital and on-air newsgathering functions together, according to a person familiar with the situation. This person said the Time Warner -owned network expects to maintain the same head count after the process is complete. Employees who are affected will be allowed to apply for new, open positions in the days and weeks to come. TheWrap.com previously reported that CNN management had told certain managers and producers they would have to apply for new jobs, potentially at lower salaries.